In the Litany of Loreto we call Our Lady “Ark of the Covenant”. In this meditation we use texts from Scripture to see how Mary truly deserves this title and how we can learn much from it for our own spiritual life. We consider how: In the book of Revelation Mary, after a long and […]
We are all familiar with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, in which the foolish ones did not take extra oil and were refused entry into the wedding feast. In this meditation we use this parable and texts of Scripture and St Josemaria Escriva to consider how: God has given us our whole […]
St Paul tells the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord always”. To be sure, we find our greatest joy, our happiness, when we are closest to God. But we should also communicate our joy to others through our good humour and cheerfulness. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, St Josemaria, Pope Francis and […]
One of the most endearing truths of our faith is that God is not only almighty, creator of heaven and earth, but our Father. In this meditation, we use texts from Scripture, the Catechism and saints, especially St Josemaria Escriva, to consider how:
In the afternoon of the Resurrection, two discouraged disciples of Jesus left Jerusalem for the nearby town of Emmaus. Christ met them on the way without revealing who he was. He showed them from the Scriptures how he was meant to suffer and die. When they reached Emmaus the disciples begged Jesus to stay with […]
The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “Lencten”, meaning springtime. If we live Lent well, we have a true springtime in our spiritual life. In this meditation, we situate our Lenten discipline in the context of three events in Our Lord’s life, each of which teaches us something about Lent:
There are many aspects of life in which we know we are not “in control”: our health, job, financial security, relationships, etc. In these and other areas, often things do not work out as we had planned, and we can become worried and sad. In this meditation we consider ways in which we can deal […]
From the manger in Bethlehem, the infant Jesus has much to teach us. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture to consider seven of his lessons, which are all important for our spiritual life:
The call to holiness is lived out in all circumstances of life, one of the most important of which is marriage and family. When they see their marriage as a path to holiness, couples grow in holiness themselves and they help their children and other families to discover the beauty of their own vocation. In […]
One of the great revelations that Jesus gives us, especially in the Sermon on the Mount, is that God is not just the Supreme Being, the creator of the universe, but truly our loving Father. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture and of St Josemaria Escriva to consider what […]
God has known and loved each one of us from all eternity. Then, in the fulness of time for us, he created us out of love and invited us to enter into a loving relationship with him. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, St John Paul II and St Josemaria to […]
We tend to take our faith in God for granted when we find it easy to believe in God, but we should not forget that faith is a great gift that can be lost. In this meditation we use texts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and of Scripture to consider how:
We are all aware of the commandment to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. But what exactly does this mean? Is it having feelings of love, telling God we love him, having many devotions? In this meditation we use texts from Scripture, St John Paul II, St Josemaria, St Alphonsus Liguori, […]
Our Lord has loved us to the end, to the last drop of his blood and water, and he invites us to love him in return. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, Pope Francis’ encyclical Dilexit nos, St Margaret Mary Alacoque and St Josemaria Escriva to consider how:
In the Annunciation, Our Lady receives a message from the angel Gabriel announcing that she is to have a son through the Holy Spirit. She immediately accepts. We learn from her to be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who acts in us through his seven gifts. In this meditation we consider how: […]
For Easter Sunday 2005, Pope Francis wrote a beautiful homily to be read in the morning Mass in St Peter’s Square by the celebrant, Cardinal Angelo Comastri. Less than 24 hours later, God called Pope Francis to eternal life with him. In this meditation, we use the text of that homily to consider how: Mary […]
Jesus teaches us so much in his suffering and death on the Cross. In this meditation we use the events from his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, through his death on Mount Calvary, to his Resurrection on Easter Sunday to consider some of these lessons: Our weakness, like that of Peter, in denying Christ […]
Lent is an annual opportunity to accompany Jesus in his forty days of prayer and fasting in the desert and in his suffering and death on Mount Calvary to his resurrection on Easter Sunday. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture and of Pope Francis’ Message for Lent 2025 to consider how: Lent symbolises […]
Everyone has issues in life which give rise to uncertainty about the future, to doubts and even anxiety. In this meditation we pray about the virtue which gives reassurance in these situations, the important virtue of hope. We use Pope Francis’ document for the Jubilee Year 2025, Spes non confundit, a beautiful commentary on hope, […]
Everyone wants to be a better person. But what do we mean by this? Who is the standard, the model? It is obviously Christ himself, perfect man as well as perfect God. In this meditation we use texts from Scripture to consider the humanity of Christ and some of the many virtues we can […]
In this season of Advent we can learn much about how to focus our spiritual life from Our Lady, as she makes her way to Bethlehem with St Joseph. Among the lessons Mary teaches us are: Docility to the will of God Self-giving to others Bearing hardships without complaining Purifying our soul through penance Life […]
As we know from children’s catechisms, the reason why we exist is to know, love and serve God on earth in order to be happy with him forever in heaven. We know it but we tend to forget it in the busyness and distractions of everyday life. In this meditation, we consider how we can […]
One of the most consoling truths of our faith is the reality of the Communion of Saints – the Church triumphant in heaven, the Church suffering in purgatory, and the Church militant on earth, all helping one another. In this meditation we use texts from Scripture, the Catechism, St Bernard, St Therese of Lisieux and […]
Greetings to you all. You may be interested to know that my popular book Dying to Live – Reflections on Life after Death, is now available as both an audio book and an e-book. You will find them on the web. Enjoy!
One of the most fundamental virtues is humility. Many of the saints, among them St Augustine and St John Vianney, stress how important it is. In this meditation, we use texts of Sacred Scripture, St Augustine, St John Vianney and St Josemaria to consider how: Humility is the foundation of the other virtues Our Lady […]
